Another great win by the Magic. Steve Francis rebounded a Pat Garrity 3-point attempt and made a short layup to put the Magic up 90-89. With less than 3 seconds left, the Hornets had one more chance to steal the game, but Stacey Augmon blocked the last shot.
The Magic looked tired. I don't think they played with as much energy, but that can be expected after the big opening night. Dwight Howard appeared to be sluggish at times, but that could be me expecting too much. Howard still played a great game and grabbed 10 rebounds for the second consecutive night.
The Magic had a small lead in the third, which if you remember from last year - the third quarter is when they would come out flat and get behind. Even though they have lost leads going into the fourth quarter, I like the fact that one, they have the lead and two, they don't get down about losing the lead. They pickup the intensity and play hard until the final whistle. That's why the Franchise has hit two game winning shots. Just playing hard until the end.
Grant Hill looked a bit off tonight, but he still managed to hit a few timely baskets. Cuttino Mobley was trying to get involved in the game, but you can tell he was forcing some shots. I think towards the end, Mobley was holding the team together offensively. We all know this guy can score, I can't wait until he gets comfortable in the offense. Hedo Turkoglu had a great game off the bench, scoring 21 points. We will need nights like that from the Turk.
I am looking for this team to really start showing some offensive power in the next 5 games. It is there. They have about 5 guys that can light up the scoreboard at anytime. Our defense needs to tighten up a bit and players rotate better. Offensively, we need to run the ball more than we have - but I am satisfied with the way things are coming together.
